You know those little knobs on your forks and shock?
Yeah — the ones you randomly twist when your bike feels weird?
Good news: today we’re going to make sure you’re twisting with purpose instead of panic.
Welcome to the magical, slightly confusing world of clicker tuning.
What Are Clickers?
Clickers are the small adjusters on your forks and shock that fine-tune how your suspension behaves.
There are two basic types:
- Compression (controls how fast your suspension squashes down)
- Rebound (controls how fast your suspension springs back up)
Each click you turn adjusts the flow of oil inside your suspension, affecting how quickly it moves.
👉 More clicks out (counterclockwise) = faster movement, softer feel.
👉 More clicks in (clockwise) = slower movement, stiffer feel.
Compression: The Art of Not Bottoming Out Like a Lawn Dart
Compression damping resists the force of impacts — think landings, bumps, and “oops, didn’t see that ditch.”
There are usually two kinds:
- Low-Speed Compression (LSC): Handles gradual movements like braking, cornering, and body shifts.
- High-Speed Compression (HSC): Handles sudden hits like jumps, rocks, potholes, and bad decisions.
Signs your compression is off:
- Bottoming out harshly? ➔ Add compression (turn in).
- Feeling like you’re riding a jackhammer? ➔ Reduce compression (turn out).
Rebound: The Art of Not Getting Bucked into the Stratosphere
Rebound damping controls how fast your suspension returns after being compressed.
Signs your rebound is off:
- Bike springs up like a pogo stick? ➔ Add rebound damping (turn in).
- Bike feels dead, sluggish, or packs down in whoops? ➔ Reduce rebound damping (turn out).
Too fast = bike bucks you.
Too slow = bike “packs,” causing harshness and instability.
Quick Guide: How to Tune Your Clickers
- Find your baseline:
If you messed with your clickers already, reset to stock settings. (Your manual has the numbers. No manual? Google your bike model + “suspension specs.”) - Start with compression:
Ride a short loop with a mix of bumps and corners. Adjust 2 clicks at a time. If you bottom harshly, add compression. If it’s too harsh, back it off. - Dial in rebound:
Find some whoops or rough terrain. If the bike feels springy or bucks, add rebound damping. If it feels sluggish and piles into bumps, back it off. - Only change one thing at a time:
Otherwise, you’ll have no idea what helped and what made it worse. - Small adjustments make a big difference:
2–3 clicks can totally change the feel.
Magic Tricks to Remember
- Temperature changes everything:
Suspension behaves differently hot vs cold. Always do fine-tuning after a few minutes of riding. - Forks and shock aren’t identical:
You might love your fork settings but need a totally different setup in the rear. Adjust separately. - Perfect is a moving target:
Sand, rocks, clay, rain — every terrain type might want slightly different tweaks.
Don’t be afraid to tweak mid-ride.
Coming Up Next: Part 3 — Spring Rates, Valving, and When It’s Time to Call a Wizard
In Part 3, we’ll talk about:
- When your springs are lying to you
- Why valving matters (and how bad setups are slowly murdering your bike’s soul)
- When it’s time to call a suspension tuner instead of chasing your tail
Stay tuned — and don’t twist clickers like a madman!
